Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Chairman Omboko Milemba. PHOTO/nation.co.ke
Teachers can now afford a sigh of relief after the Commission for University Education (CUE) announced that it will not do away with their holiday learning plan.
The commission said that instead of phasing out the school-based programme, universities will have to increase the number of contact hours between lecturers and students so as to meet the required standards.
CUE chairman Chacha Nyaigoti said that each university will have to ensure that teachers taking studies get enough time with their lecturers.
“We have told them that the only way to have the course is to work within the universities’ guidelines of 2014 but we are not closing the course,” Prof Chacha said as reported by Nation.
“They should have a system that takes longer so that they have the minimum instructional hours. We want a qualitative environment for learners. Some universities have been using very funny places, with poor facilities and unqualified lecturers. That must be improved,” he added.
He added that although it was important for Kenyans to learn and acquire degrees, these credentials must be of high quality.
Teachers have received the news with appreciation and praised the commission for standing for them.
“Everybody is going to school to advance their education and teachers cannot be an exception. The issue of instructional hours should be addressed by universities,” Kuppet chairman Omboko Milemba said.
In his part, Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary-general Wilson Sossion argued that school holidays were the most conducive time for studying teachers to interact well with their lecturers.
“Every university has power to design their programmes as per the Universities Act and they have different modes of learning,” said Mr Sossion.